Sadly non-twaddle toys actually make a bigger mess than the twaddle type. I mean one plastic toy that sings etc is easier to pick up than 50 blocks…he he!
Anyway my kids have way less toys than most kids but still a lot. As you said between Christmas, birthdays and random gifts it adds up. But if they don’t play with it gone, if there is no place for it gone, if they don’t take care of it gone, etc. We don’t even allow twaddle toys. We don’t buy them and Grandparents know better. If they did get one it would be regifted or maybe they could play with it for the week until they become bored that it only does 1 thing. Really all of the toys we have do more than one thing or are pretend type toys like dolls (she has only 2 though) or another example legos. Once the set gets boring they can remake it into 100 other things.
We have a lage tub of duplos, a large tub of legos, large tub of wooden train track and accessories, some blocks, animals, noahs ark, 2 dolls, play food, doll bed and bench, lots of games and a few other random dress up type toys. We have a set place with bins for toys and once it seems overflowing we go through it together. The kids always help because I might like a toy or think they play with it and my oldest will say we don’t like that so it goes, or if we have room for only 1 thing and they have to choose between 2 or 3 toys they pick which stays. As I said before though if it was twaddle I would just get rid of it.
They way I do cleanup is before the youngest 2 go to be it gets done every night. They all help. The younger 2 (17 months) mostly watch or sometimes they are int he bath but the older 3 (ages 2.5-8) have to clean. Either I poke my head in and assign the 2.5 yo and 4yo a job or I deligate my oldest to assign jobs. He has shown himself faithful in doing this and usually does most of the work because he like to be done quickly. But the 2 & 4yo don’t do well with “just clean up”. It is too overwhelming for them. My oldest is fine with just clean up but not the rest.
You may have to sit in there with them for a while and assign jobs to each of them. Do this night after night until you can assign a job and leave, come back and assign another job. It will eventually get easier. I find, at least for mine, that having them clean up all the blocks, then all the animals, then all the train track…etc they do better than just saying clean up.
I would really look at the toys and get rid of what is twaddle, what cannot be multi use or inspire imagination and what cannot stand the test of time. That is just me though. Have a garage sale and let them do something with the money, give to church/charity or even go out for ice cream. Here there is a place we give the toys to that is for underprivileged children, so they know the toys are going to children that don’t have any.
I don’t have a set number of toys just as I said if they are overflowing they go. All toys fit in one corner of the older 3’s room (aside from legos they stay at the table due to small parts). I don’t consider books toys per say so they have their own shelf with the board books that the younger ones can have on the bottom.
To me most anything plastic with flashy lights and sound is junk.
